Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation among college students with an autism spectrum disorder
Open accessAbstract
Little research has examined the popular belief that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely than the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a nationally representative sample of students with an ASD in special education. Findings suggest that students with an ASD had the highest STEM participation rates although their college enrollment rate was the third lowest among 11 disability categories and students in the general population. Disproportionate postsecondary enrollment and STEM participation by gender, family income, and mental functioning skills were found for young adults with an ASD. Educational policy implications are discussed.
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Autistic individuals in the US are more likely to choose STEM fields than the general population (34.31% vs. 22.80%), and in computer science, the ratio is even higher (16.22% vs. 6.6%).
“Autistic individuals in the US are more likely to choose STEM fields than the general population (34.31% vs. 22.80%), and in computer science, the ratio is even higher (16.22% vs. 6.6%) [25].”
From The Entry of Autistic University Graduates into the Labor Market in the Era of Generative AI: Their Concerns and Strategies Regarding the Technology. Research in Progress: The Entry of Autistic Graduates into the Labor Market in the Era of GenAI (2026) · cites this paper as [25]
The Discussion reports the exact STEM (34.31% vs. 22.80%) and computer-science (16.22% vs. 6.6%) comparisons. But these are rates among young adults with ASD who attended college and reported a major, compared with students in the general population—not among autistic individuals and the general population as a whole. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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- Authors
- Wei, X., Yu, J. W., Shattuck, P., McCracken, M., & Blackorby, J.
- Affiliations
- SRI International (US)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wei, Xin
- Venue
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Published
- 2012-11-01
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1539-1546
- ISSN
- 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3432
- PMC
- PMC3620841
- OpenAlex
- W1969479123
- Cited by
- 305
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 52 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 24.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Education
- National Institutes of Health (7r01mh086489-06)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH086489).)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, STEM participation, college enrollment, postsecondary education, young adults with disabilities, gender disparities, household income, intellectual functioning, special education, education policy
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Career Choice, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Education, Special, Engineering, Female, Persons with Disabilities, Disabled Persons, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mathematics, Science, Students, Technology, United States, Young Adult
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